by Sybil Bartel
“Says the Marine who taught me every cuss word I know.”
I smirked. “Doesn’t mean you should use them.”
“Whatever. I’m going to shower. I have an early shift today.” She walked out of the kitchen.
Nash pushed a stool over to the counter near the stove. Climbing up, he took the swear jar down and dumped all the bills out as my cell rang.
I glanced at the caller ID, then answered. “What’s up, Luna?”
“I got a job for you.”
“I just got off a job.”
Luna paused. Then he exhaled.
My boss was a lot of things—former Marine sniper, all-around badass, scrupled. He didn’t own the best personal security firm in the business because he was a pussy. So when he exhaled, I went on alert.
I glanced at Nash, but he was busy counting his money. “What kind of job?”
“Your kind.”
The unscrupulous kind.
I didn’t have a problem with that, but I also wasn’t going to get involved with any cartel fucks again. “For?” I asked.
“Ludeviene Loic. She was kidnapped a half hour ago.”
Fuck. Me.
ONE FOOT IN THE TOWN Car, I paused. “Where’s Marius?”
I’d texted Marius to pick me up in front of the club and to not bother with my door. I’d planned on making a beeline for the car in hopes of avoiding the tall bodyguard, but Marius wasn’t behind the wheel.
A driver I’d only ever seen a few times on the rare occasion when Marius was either out of town or under the weather sat behind the wheel.
Not making eye contact, the new driver nodded at me. “It was getting late, miss, and he has an early morning driving your father. He asked me to fill in.”
His excuse sounded plausible, but still. “Why didn’t he text me that?”
The driver shrugged. “Not sure, miss. Maybe he forgot.”
Out of the corner of my eye, I saw a black vehicle pull out of the alley, and I looked up. It was the same type of SUV that Dreena and Falcon had left in a few minutes ago, followed by Tyler and Calandra in an identical vehicle. It also looked exactly like the vehicle I saw Marius parked next to in the alley when I’d stepped out there earlier and accidentally run into the bodyguard and his colleague.
The SUV paused and I stared, wondering if it was him.
I hadn’t seen him leave the club, but then again, I wasn’t expecting to either. He’d made himself perfectly clear when he’d told me to get back inside. I’d heard his words. I’d seen the stern expression sharpen his already hard features. But I’d stood there like a fool anyway, because I’d never been that close to man who was so feral.
And now I was staring at an Escalade with windows tinted too dark to see inside, hoping beyond hope it was him, because I foolishly wanted to see him, and something about Marius not texting me to tell me he was turning in for the night felt off, but I wasn’t quite sure what to do about that at five in the morning. I didn’t want to risk waking Marius up with a phone call if he was getting a few precious hours of sleep, and I didn’t want to seem childish by stepping away and calling for a cab when I didn’t even know how long it would take for a cab to arrive because I’d never actually ridden in one.
Twenty-four years old and I didn’t know what to do.
So I stared at the Escalade, and the driver’s window started to go down.
Watching with rapt attention, I almost didn’t hear my driver.
“Are you coming, miss?”
The hard, angular planes of the bodyguard’s face appeared as the streetlights cut deep shadows across him.
I sucked in a sharp breath.
“Miss?”
His gaze as intense as it was before, he stared back at me.
Then the corner of his mouth tipped up and he winked.
He winked.
My heart stopped, then started again in double time, and he turned away, raised his window and drove off.
My knees weak, my breath fast, I chastised myself for my reaction to a man I’d never see again and got into the Town Car. “Take me to my parents’ house, please.”
“Yes, miss.”
The driver pulled away from the curb, and I sank into the leather seat. I wanted nothing more than to go to my own condo and sleep for a week, if only to forget about a certain bodyguard, but if my father had an early morning, I should be there to help with mother.
She’d suffered a stroke last year, and while she was doing really well, she still wasn’t sure on her feet and she needed help with the simple tasks of everyday life. My father never complained, let alone asked for help. He loved my mother with all his heart, but I knew he struggled to maintain his busy schedule with the bank and the board while still having time to help my mother bathe and dress herself.
When I’d moved out of my parents’ estate on the intracoastal and into my own oceanfront condo, I’d loved the views as much as I loved the independence. But now that my mother wasn’t one-hundred percent, I kept some clothes and toiletries in my old room so that I could stay there whenever she needed me.
Lost in my thoughts, I didn’t notice at first that the new driver wasn’t heading east toward the barrier island, but going south.
Irritated, I frowned as we passed the second causeway for the island. “Excuse me, what was your name again?”
“Chuck.”
“You’re going the wrong way, Chuck. You missed both turns onto the barrier island. You need to turn around at the next intersection.”
Not replying to me, he picked up his phone.
“Excuse me,” I snapped as he put his phone to his ear. “I’m speaking to you.”
He quietly said something into his cell as he took a turn into a darkened strip mall.
The hair on the back of my neck rose, and my stomach clenched. “I demand to know what’s going on, right now. You missed your turn.”
Chuck hung up his cell as a text came through on mine.
Dad: Good morning, sweetheart. I hope I’m not disturbing you. Have you seen Marius? Is he still with you? I’m unable to reach him, and I need to be at the office early for an overseas video conference.
Dread soaked into my bones as panic rose like bile in my throat. Too late, I knew what was happening.
The very thing my father had warned me of since I was old enough to walk.
The emergency protocol he’d drilled into me and made me practice over and over set in like memory function.
I hit reply to his text and typed three numbers.
911
Then I dialed the same numbers, but I was too late.
Chuck had pulled around to the back of the strip mall and slammed on his brakes next to a late-model SUV.
Kicking off my heels, preparing to run, I grasped the door handle and yanked before the Town Car had come to complete stop, but it was no use.
Locked from the outside, the door wouldn’t open.
“Nine-one-one, what’s your emergency?”
I held my cell to my ear.
“My name is Ludeviene Loic, and I’ve been kidnapped by my chauffeur Chuck.” The driver door to the SUV flew open.
“Ma’am,” the emergency operator replied. “I see that you’re on a mobile phone. Can you please give me your location?”
The back door of the Town Car was yanked open and a dark-haired man reached for me. “Hang up!”
I pressed myself all the way against the opposite door and rushed my words out. “I’m on US 1 just past the intersection of the MacArthur Causeway, behind a strip mall on the—”
“Give me that!” The man yanked my cell phone from me.
Screaming, bringing my leg up, I kicked him in the chest.
Letting out a roar, the man lunged.
His closed fist connected with my jaw, my head snapped sideways and pain exploded.
Everything went black.
IRRATIONALLY PISSED, MY TRIGGER FINGER itching, I drove too fast into the Luna and Associates garage. An old, restored
Bronco pulled in after me, and a blond guy got out.
He tipped his chin as he followed me to the elevator. “What’s up?”
He looked familiar, but I couldn’t place him. Barely acknowledging him, I hit the lobby level for him and the third floor for me. The doors closed and a few seconds later opened on the first floor.
The guy didn’t move.
I glared at him. “You get out here.”
He shook his head once. “I’m meeting Luna.”
My eyes narrowed. “Luna doesn’t meet clients on the upper floors.”
The prick smiled an insincere money smile at me. “Not a client.” He reached past me and hit the door close button.
Fucking dick.
The elevator rose to the command floor where the offices were and the doors opened. The guy stepped out as Tyler walked past.
Coming to an abrupt stop, Tyler grinned. “Goddamn, Christensen, long time no see.” He held his hand out. “I thought you were on tour.”
Christensen?
The prick shook hands with Tyler as he grabbed his shoulder. “Just got back. I hear you’re a prince now.”
Tyler smirked. “Wasn’t I always?” He glanced at me. “Ty, meet Myles Christensen. Neil’s nephew,” he added.
That’s why he looked familiar. Not only was he a spitting image of his Danish ex- Special Forces Neanderthal uncle, he was in some famous band I didn’t listen to. “We met,” I lied.
Myles chuckled. “Yeah, I gave him a coronary when I didn’t get off the elevator in the lobby.”
Tyler laughed.
What the fuck ever. “Nice meeting you,” I lied again, stepping around them.
“Let me know if you and your lady want backstage passes next time we play local,” Myles said to Tyler.
“Copy that.” Tyler smiled like it was fucking Christmas. “Thanks.”
“No problem. See you later,” Myles answered before catching up to me. “Looks like we’re heading in the same direction. I’ll walk with you.”
Striding toward Luna’s office, I didn’t comment. I didn’t give a shit who Myles was, I needed to see Luna first.
“You must be new. I haven’t seen you before.” Myles nodded at Collins as we passed his workstation.
I didn’t bother with a reply. I knocked once on Luna’s door, then strode in.
Standing behind his desk with his phone to his ear, Luna glanced at first me, then Myles. “I understand that, Mr. Loic, but I can’t in good conscience agree to those terms if you want me to retrieve your daughter.” Luna frowned. “I’m not saying anything will happen, but you have to understand what we’re dealing with.” He paused. “That’s your prerogative, and if I were in your situation, I would consider all of my options… No, that most certainly is not a threat, it’s a statement of opinion. If you want me to pursue this, then you’ll have to trust that I’ll do my job to the best of my ability. Unfortunately, this is not my first encounter with this type of situation, and I guarantee you that my experience will give you a better shot than attempting to give in to their demands. That said, the choice is up to you.”
Luna glanced at his watch. “I can give you thirty minutes to make a decision. Anything past that and I’ll lose the advantage of time, which is crucial in a situation like this, so call me back and let me know.” Luna hung up and came around his desk, his hand out to Myles. “Jesucristo, Christensen. Good to see you. You here for your uncle’s big day?”
Myles gave Luna a bro hug. “Ditto, man, ditto. And yep, wouldn’t miss it. But I have a favor.”
I lost patience. “I need to speak to Luna in private.”
“No problem, man.” Myles nodded. “I’ll be around. We can talk later.” He walked off.
I shut Luna’s door. “When did it happen?”
Luna ran a hand over his head. “Her father got a nine-one-one text from her shortly after oh-five-hundred. Fifteen minutes later he got the call.”
“Fuck.” I kicked a chair. “Fuck. I was right fucking there. I saw her driver pick her up. What the fuck happened?”
Luna glanced at the chair then leveled me with a look. “You know this chica?”
“Yeah, I fucking know her. She was at the club all night with Tank’s group.”
Luna crossed his arms. “Not what I’m asking.”
“What the fuck is that supposed to mean?” I knew what it meant.
“It means how involved with her are you? Because shit’s beyond FUBAR, it’s fucking nuclear, and if you fucked the chica and can’t remain impartial, we’re not gonna have this conversation.”
“Jesus fucking Christ, I just got off shift thirty minutes ago and my ass is here.”
Luna raised his eyebrows. “And?”
“Do I look like I took the time to fuck her? I didn’t touch her.” Motherfucking goddamn it. “But I should’ve made damn sure she got in the Town Car with her driver.” Or took her ass home with me like I’d wanted to. Then she wouldn’t have gotten fucking snatched. FUCK.
“That’s the problem.” Luna eyed me. “She did.”
I stilled. “Her driver took her? The guy was fucking eighty.”
Luna shook his head. “Not her usual driver. When she called nine-one-one, she told the emergency operator that another driver had kidnapped her. Someone named Chuck.”
What the hell? “When she was dropped off, she called her driver Marius.”
“That’s the old man who’s missing.”
Goddamn it. “He’s dead.” I was sure of it.
“Presumably. But that’s not what I’m worried about. I’m worried about who her padre is and the phone call he received.”
“Who’s her father?”
Luna blinked. Then he looked at me like I was out of my mind. “Her last name is Loic.”
“So?”
“You don’t know who her familia is?”
“Would I be fucking asking if I did?”
“National Bank, United Securities, First Interest Holdings?” Luna rattled bank and company names off like I should know what the fuck he was talking about.
“And?”
“Jesu-fucking-cristo, Asher. Her entire family is generations deep into the biggest bank holding company in the country.”
I fucking knew she was loaded. She was too classy not to be, not to mention the rocks she wore in her ears. “So she’s rich. You take one look at her, you know that.”
Luna slowly shook his head. “She’s not just rich. Her familia’s so steeped in wealth, not even the next three generations will have to work.”
Jesus fucking Christ. “And she only had one goddamn geriatric bodyguard with her? Who the hell thought that was a good idea?”
Luna shrugged. “Her condo, her padre’s estate, they’re both guarded. If she goes out of town, she takes personal protection with her, but she’d never been a target before this and none of the other family members, immediate or extended, have ever had any attempts either.”
“So that was reason to slack on security?” Jesus fuck. “How much does the kidnapper want?”
Luna leaned against his desk and leveled me with a look. “They didn’t ask for money.”
“Who the hell doesn’t ask for money from a family like that?”
From the look on Luna’s face, I knew who before he said shit.
“The cartel,” he said, confirming it.
Mother.
Fucker.
I sank into a chair.
“Who is it?” She was as good as dead. And if they took her an hour ago, if she wasn’t already at the bottom of the ocean, she could be anywhere.
“Dante Cortez.”
Fuck, fuck, FUCK. “My old boss’s boss.”
Luna nodded. “You take out the cartel’s number-one money launderer, they’re gonna need a replacement.”
It didn’t take a genius to put it all together. “They want her father to launder their money.”
It wasn’t a question, but Luna confirmed it. “Yep, and he’s only giving Loic forty-ei
ght hours to produce results.”
I scrubbed a hand over my face. “She’ll never make it out alive. In their eyes, she belongs to them now. He’ll only keep her alive as long as she’s useful.”
“I know,” Luna quietly agreed. “But we gotta try to get her out.”
Now I knew what he fucking meant when he said my kinda job. “You want me to go back in.”
Luna nodded. “But there’s a caveat. Her padre doesn’t want to start a war. He wants her back with no casualties because Dante said if there’s any attempt at extraction, they’ll kill her on the spot.”
Jesus Christ. “Is Loic out of his fucking mind?” This was the cartel we were talking about. There was gonna be bloodshed.
“No, he’s scared.”
“And I’m pissed. So fucking what? There’s only gonna be one way to get her out.” That’s why he’d called me.
Luna stared at me.
There was something he wasn’t saying. “What?”
“Loic has history with Dante.”
My jaw ticked. “What kinda history?”
“Dante was Loic’s first big account at his bank.”
Fucking Christ.
I SUCKED IN A BREATH.
Then another.
Pain radiated from my jaw and bile rose in my throat.
Groggy and confused, I blinked, but all I saw was darkness. Darkness and the drone of an engine were the only two things I could process as I took another deep breath and smelled brine.
Then it all came rushing back.
Marius, Chuck, the bodyguard, outside the club, my father’s text, the nine-one-one call, the man who hit me….
Tears welled, but I fought them down and focused on what my father had taught me. Stay calm, take stock, keep quiet, and don’t look any captors in the eyes. Everything was dark, but it was already too late for his last piece of advice.
The face of the man who’d hit me replayed in my head on repeat.
Nausea churned, and my stomach lurched. I brought a hand to my mouth, but both hands came, a handcuff chain clinking as metal bit into my wrists.
Oh God.
Stay calm.
Sucking in a deep breath, desperately trying not to throw up, my jaw throbbing, I lifted my head and looked around, but it was literally pitch-dark.